7 new foods and kitchen gadgets worth owning

With the holidays around the corner, companies have released a slew of new products — some more impressive than others — for food enthusiasts. We tested seven to bring you this report:

Taylor’s Ultimate Hot Sauces

What: Miami native Taylor Hicks has created a line of zesty condiments that draws from his family’s varied geographic and culinary backgrounds, including a Peruvian-Style Garlic Sauce, Italian-Style BBQ Sauce and Mild Jalapeño and Habanero Hot Sauces.

Whiskey Elements

What: Oregon start-up company Time and Oak created Whiskey Elements, which are basically small sticks of wood that have been charred to create a smoky aroma and — when dropped in a bottle of whiskey for a day — better-tasting booze.

Pros: Clearly adds a woodsy taste, similar to what you get from top-shelf brands from flyover states. Pleasant neat. With ice, any alcohol burn was negligible, and the woodsy flavor was still there.

Cons: Mixing the wood-cured whiskey with ice and Coke, it was hard to tell the difference from any other bottle of Jack I’ve tasted.

Musashi Hot Sauces

What: Riding the wave of Sriracha’s spicy popularity, fiery-foods company Musashi has released two variations of the original Rooster sauce: green Midori Sriracha with serrano peppers, and a chile-dairy blend of Japanese Mayo.

Pros: People who find regular Sriracha’s heat level to be a little too intense will appreciate the scaled-down spice of Midori Sriracha (the color’s pretty, too). Musashi Japanese Mayo is versatile enough to be slathered on everything from tuna steaks to sandwiches.

Cons: Japanese Mayo is really, really easy to make at home if you have bottles of Sriracha and mayo.

Nutiva Red Palm Oil

Pros: The heart-healthy, antioxidant-rich fruit oil is better for you than many other cooking fats. I’ve been using it instead of peanut oil to cook popcorn, and a little dollop in cooked brown rice is excellent.

Cons: Palm oil solidifies when chilled, making it somewhat difficult to measure out. Soak the container in warm water before using from the fridge.